Who’s Hot

Eric Campbell – Las Vegas

The best way to showcase your talents for the organization you play for is to be out there everyday.  Eric Campbell is getting that chance and is showing what he is capable of.  Showing an increase in production to coincide with his promotion to the higher levels, Campbell is on pace yet again to eclipse what he did the year before.  In his last 10 games he has gone 16-for-44, 1 HR, 10 RBI, .364/.451/.974.  If this sort of production continues would it be possible to see the Mets do a little juggling to the roster to get him some big league at-bats?

Taylor Teagarden – Las Vegas

Boasting a current 8-game hitting streak, Taylor Teagarden is someone to keep your eye on.  Former 3rd round pick by the Texas Rangers and former Baltimore Oriole, Teagarden is making a name for himself in the PCL.  In his last 10 he has gone 11-for-34 with five home runs and 11 RBI.  Teagarden has 163 games on MLB experience over six years and could see some time this season if he stays with the team.  Unfortunately for him, d’Arnaud is starting to hit and the Mets are undefeated in games that Anthony Recker starts so there is a little congestion behind the plate which could delay a promotion.

Matt Reynolds – Binghamton

The New York Mets 2nd round selection in 2012, Matt Reynolds is tearing to cover off the ball.  In his first full season in Double-A he has not disappointed.  Prior to Tuesday’s game, Reynolds was on a 9-game hit streak.  For me it is never about the home run.  Sure they don’t hurt when they are hit and can be exciting, but I enjoy a player that can get the job done and have quality at-bats.  Reynolds in his last ten games has gone 15-for-36 with six runs batted and an eight walks.  He could benefit from not striking out as much, but his .511 OBP and his .983 OPS is nothing to balk at.  Reynolds has plenty of time to grow as he is only 23-years old, but I like what I have seen so far.

Matthew Bowman – Binghamton

2012 13th round pick out of Princeton for the New York Mets, Matthew Bowman has been real good.  Earning a promotion to Double-A, Bowman is proving that he could be on the fast track to another one by season’s end.  Bowman has made three starts so far for Binghamton and has done nothing other than win.  He is 3-0 so far with an ERA of 1.04.  If that is not enough to raise an eyebrow his 11 strikeouts against New Hampshire in seven innings should do the trick.  Opponents are hitting just .194 against him and he has a WHIP of 0.98.  The three starts may not be an ample serving size but he is worth checking out if you get the chance.

Who’s Not:

Jacob deGrom – Las Vegas

As the season was going along, deGrom was becoming one of my favorite pitchers in the system.  Since making that statement public, deGrom has struggled his last two times out.  Prior to that 1-0 allowing just 2 runs in 18 innings.  Since then he has come down to earth a bit.  He has been the benefactor of a hot hitting 51’s team picking up a win each of his last three outings.  deGrom has struggled with a line of 10 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 8 K over his last two outings.  Opponents are hitting .325 against him over that span which is way up from the .169 in his prior starts.  There is not much to be nervous about yet as he is bound to bounce back.

Rafael Montero – Las Vegas

You know I hate to say it because we are all so anxious, but Rafael Montero has been a bit disappointing in his last couple of outings.  I know that our expectations are way too high for a pitching prospect and there is plenty of time and a lot to be excited about but numbers don’t lie.  Well I guess they can lie but these numbers don’t.  Montero’s last three starts: 14 IP, 15 H, 12 R, 9 BB, 12 K.  I don’t want to state the obvious but if you are to be successful in this game you have to keep the amount of base runners allowed to a minimum.  Montero has struggled with his control but as I have said before it is still early and he is human after all.

Noah Syndergaard – Las Vegas

Dare I add “Thor” to this list?  I know it is taboo to compare players of today to players of yesterday and it is probably the same to mention top prospects in the “Who’s Not” portion of this but the truth of the matter is, these guys are struggling.  Syndergaard his been relatively ineffective his last few outings and has numbers that rival those of Montero’s over the last three.  14 IP, 17 H, 11 R, 7 BB, 14 K.  Syndergaard’s ERA is now over five but has a chance to improve on it as he is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday.  Plenty of time folks, plenty of time.

Hansel Robles – Binghamton

1-0, 0.00, 10 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 14 K.  That was how Robles started out the season for the Binghamton Mets.  It hasn’t been the same story since then.  In his last two starts he has a record of 0-0 with an ERA of 4.31.  Robles has had his walks increase and his strikeouts decrease.  Not really what you want to see happen.  Hitters are hitting over .300 on him which is up considerably from his first two.  He had a bounce-back game on Tuesday so it could be coming back around but we will have to wait almost a week to find out.